The Change
by RT4ever
Summary: Two years after the last chapter, this story is updated. Summer before Rory and Tristian's Senior year, Tristian comes home and finds how the world has changed. ch.13 up
1. Coming Home

1 Okay another start to another story, since there have no replies to the very short beginning of "The Only One," I'll probably write one more chapter to give you guys more of feel for where I'm going, then if I don't get any replies I'll just stop with it. Same as this story. Rory will be coming up in the next chapter, so be patient and enjoy.  
  
  
  
2 The Change  
  
  
  
Tristan~  
  
I've been waiting for this day for seven months now. I got off the plane this morning and the only thing I could think of was getting to her.  
  
I can still remember my last words to her "I gotta go. So, I might kiss you goodbye but.uh..your boyfriend's watching. Take care of yourself, Mary." There had been something in her voice that night, her words, how she looked at me.  
  
I don't know maybe it was wishful thinking, maybe I imagined it all, but there had been something there that didn't want me to leave. It's funny because as I got into my dad's car that night as much as I wanted to stay, I wanted to leave. I knew I had to change, I had to become worthy of her; I had to find myself before I could get lost in her.  
  
I had been ready to drive straight to Stars Hollow the moment the plane touched down. But as I walked out I saw my father standing there, he said my mother was at home waiting to see me. I had no choice but to go and to put off my seeing her for just a bit longer.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The House~  
  
I walk up to the brick house I had spent my entire life in and I realize I didn't miss it in the slightest, as I open the door I hear her call me "Tristan, darling, I'm in the study." I walk down the familiar hallway and turn into the room, she walks towards me, in her perfect stylish outfit, she turned 43 last month, yet she looks exactly like she did when I was ten.  
  
She takes me in her arms and tells me how much she had missed me. I don't know why she said that; maybe she thought those were the words a mother was supposed to say. I say I missed her too and then I sit down on the couch. She stands over me and it's like I'm a child again. Her blonde hair falls right past her shoulders in a soft wave and I realize something, my eyes are staring back at me, I had never noticed that before, I have her eyes.  
  
I remember her from when I was younger, I remember how I used to run to her and I don't know where that went to, I don't know what happened to her. Why she had changed so drastically from a mother who sang me to sleep each night, to a woman I barely ever saw? Her face transfixes me and I cannot turn away and when her smile leaves, the memory of her as she was is lost.  
  
"Your friend Kevin called, they're having a birthday party for your friend Lisa at his house. A pool party, it started at 2." She says as she walked away  
  
"And this interests me why?" I ask leaning back into the sofa.  
  
"It's your first day back you should go, have fun. Spend time with your friends. They've been calling here nonstop since the beginning of the month looking for you." She says turning back  
  
"Why are you acting like a mother?" I know this is going to hurt her and that's the main reason behind me saying it.  
  
I see the look of pain flash through her eyes and it hurts me more than I ever imagined and I wonder why I did it. Suddenly I see her as Rory and I'm reminded of all the pointless pain I caused her. "I'm sorry. I'm gonna go upstairs and find my trunks."  
  
Her smile returns "I bought you a new pair this morning, along with some summer clothes."  
  
Once again she shocks me, I shake it off she must have been feeling guilty for only calling me once and sending a whopping total of three letters in the seven months I've been gone. "Thanks" and with that I left. 


	2. And There She Is...

Chapter Two  
  
And There She Is  
  
Tristan~  
  
Okay my mother's words of "some summer clothes" was the understatement of the century. On my bed there were a total of eight bags, eight bags that were all full and I mean packed to capacity. I have no idea what is going on with her. Worry all of a sudden overwhelms me, why was she doing this? Is she sick? Is that why they let me come home, is that why she's being so nice to me and my father, are they hiding something from me? I try to shake it off, after all she looked fine….  
  
Why am I worrying about this?  
  
I try to put it out of my mind as I start to look through the bags. The clothing is impeccable of course that's to be expected from my mother. I grab a pair of baby blue trunks from the stash and find a white summer button down; I even find a pair of sandals. I quickly dress, the sooner I get leave the sooner I can find out about Rory. I turn to check myself out in the mirror, I've left the shirt unbuttoned, they all wanna see my six- pack, I shouldn't disappoint them.  
  
I notice a small silver package on the dresser; I pick it up and look at the card, "To Lisa, Happy Birthday. Love Tristan" my mother truly had thought of everything and once again it was scaring me. I try to ignore it, as I look it the mirror. "Perfection as always," I say to my reflection "hey your parents may not have given you love or attention, but at least they you looks." I laugh at myself as I run my hand over my hair; I hoped I could pull of a buzz cut out in the real world. There was a little hair, but certainly not a lot, the good thing was I learned I didn't have an oddly shaped head.  
  
Once again I can't help but laugh at myself. I grab my wallet from my discarded pants and grab a baseball cap from my closet. "Worried about your hair or actually your lack there of?" I turn to see my mother smiling in the doorway "I remember your father two days before our prom decided to shave off all his hair." She starts laughing to herself remembering "Your grandmother flipped out and made us redress and retake our photographs for a professional photographer as soon as it grew back." I laugh, unable to imagine my father doing anything less then perfect or hell anything remotely seeming human. My mother walks over to me and looks up at my head, "Well at least that scar isn't too bad, they did a good job with it."  
  
I raise my hand up to the side of my head where I had discovered the small scar just a few short months ago. "Yea, I never knew I had it. How did I get it?"  
  
She looks at me puzzled "You don't remember?"  
  
"No" I say with a simple shake of my head.  
  
"You hit your head on the pool." She kind of gets lost for a moment, it's like I see her go back in time to that moment, but she shakes it off. "Sunglasses"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"To complete the ensemble" she raises up her hand to reveal a bag from the Sunglass Hut "I forgot to bring them up before. Her present is on your dresser, it's a necklace in case you're wondering. Oh and car keys, I had your father drop off your car at the shop because it hasn't been driven in so long and it was about time for an oil change too." She hands me her keys "it's in the garage, the silver one, be safe and have a good time. Your father and I have dinner plans tonight so we won't be back until late."  
  
With that she left the room and once again left me feeling very confused.  
  
  
  
The Garage~  
  
I almost died when I discovered my mom's car it was a BMW z8, the car cost over a hundred grand and she was trusting me with it? Oh something is definitely wrong in my house, but I'm not gonna be complaining anytime soon.  
  
  
  
The Party~  
  
I almost skipped going to the part as I passed the entrance to the 95 and knew I could be at her house in mere minutes because of this car. I couldn't do that though, my bravery was fading, I couldn't bear seeing her with him and knowing that I could never compare. So I parked my car in the large driveway and headed around back with the present and hat in my hand.  
  
I saw her almost instantly as I got to the pool. Things certainly had changed since I'd left, but they didn't look too dramatic as Rory was lounging in a chair reading. Her bikini was quite honestly amazing, it was a shiny deep aqua blue that reflected the light and there was almost nothing to it, a string bikini at it's best, but very out of place on the girl I called Mary.  
  
How much had changed since I'd been gone?  
  
I got my answer within moments as Michael came running as Rory stood. He scooped her in his arms and ran for the water. She was screaming and I was ready to go running after him to beat him for scaring her. Then I realized as they hit the water and she came up laughing, that she wasn't scared, she was having fun. Then he kissed her, yea beating out of the question, torture, slow and painful. The movie Seven came to my mind, but then it left as all of a sudden I started to hear "Tristan" "Oh my god, it's Tristan." "Holy shit they actually let you come back?" Her eyes came to me and that's were they stopped and focused on my face I'm assuming, since my death glare at them was more than obvious. I was over taken in hugs and I let them take me away from the nightmare that had become of my homecoming. 


	3. What Happned To My Mary?

Okay guys, I love replies so keep them up! I hope you enjoy.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
What Happened To My Mary?  
  
Tristan~  
  
After bs-ing with everyone for a while, I drag Kevin into the house with me. "My Mary and Mike? You have got to fuckin be kidding me." I say harshly but I don't scream it as I wish to. There is no way in hell I'm going to let every one know how this is effecting me.  
  
"Man, she was never yours. Anyhow she changed during the school year. She moved in with her grandparents in February. Just completely changed her whole attitude within a few weeks. Definitely not your sweet little Mary anymore." He says with a shake of his head  
  
"She slept with Mike?" my heart is breaking into a million pieces  
  
"Not yet, but give her a few more weeks."  
  
"No way in hell. Mike and I are going to have a little talk and if he has to have his dinner through a straw for the rest of his life so be it. I am going to keep him away from her." This is not a threat this is a promise. I don't care how Neanderthal it is, he will not go near her.  
  
"Good luck man, she seems pretty into him and there's no way in hell he'd be stupid enough to let her go without a fight."  
  
I smile; did he forget who he was talking? "If he wants a fight he'll get one, she's mine."  
  
"Shit man, you came back with a vengeance. Guess Military School didn't work as well as your dad hoped it would." He says smirking  
  
"I don't know man, definitely thinking more. The old me would have decked Mike the moment I saw him touch Rory. He knew she was off limits."  
  
Kevin just laughs at me, I can't say I blame him "So what did happen that your dad let you come home? My dad said I wasn't seeing you again till after graduation."  
  
"I have no clue," I say with a shrug of my shoulders as I grab a soda from the fridge "There's something weird going on in my house. My dad was almost human and my mom, holy shit, she's doing this June Cleaver thing."  
  
"Your mom?" He looks at me in shock  
  
"Yea that's my reaction, something's going on. She hugged me and told me how much she missed me, bought me a whole new summer wardrobe, looked at my scar."  
  
He looks at me confused "She looked at your scar?" he asks  
  
"Yea she came into my room and looked at my head and looked at this small scar I have on my head, I never even knew it was there and then she tells me how I got it. The lady that missed me getting my appendix and tonsils taken out, the double pneumonia when I was 12 and the broken leg, but she knew about this small scar." I raise my hand up and rub my finger against it. "It was weird. Oh yea then she gave me her car keys because she had my dad drop my car off at the shop since it hadn't been driven in so long."  
  
"She dying?"  
  
"That's what I was thinking." I down the rest of my soda and shake my head "Enough of this, I'm going back out."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
It takes almost a half an hour for me to make my way over to Rory; I let everyone stroke my ego for a while, in order to gather my courage to go to her. She's back to her spot on the lounge reading, I smile, it's nice to know at least something hasn't changed.  
  
"Hello Mary" I say leaning over her  
  
She raises her head up and looks at me, I wish she didn't have those sunglasses on so I could see the cornflower blue eyes that I had missed so dearly. "Hello Tristan"  
  
"No comment about your name not being Mary?"  
  
"No it just encourages you, so I'm not bothering. Welcome home though"  
  
Her voice is so distant, it irritates me, I had been so positive that there had been something between us as I said good-bye to her. Had I been wrong? "Why didn't you come over and say that? I've been here for awhile now."  
  
"You had your flock around you, there was no reason to."  
  
I sit down next to her "So you and Mike, that's certainly something I never expected. What happened to the bagboy?"  
  
"He's in Stars Hollow, I'm here."  
  
Okay see now I'm ready to start screaming, what the hell is now so suddenly hard about talking to me and not giving me the completely impersonal replies "Ah yes you live here now." My voice is cool and relaxed, barely interested even. There's one good thing about my upbringing I have a hell of a poker face.  
  
"Yea…Oh shit what time is it?" she says sitting up  
  
I look down "A little after five, why?"  
  
"Damn, I have to get home. I have dinner with my grandparents." She starts to sit up  
  
"Need me to take you home?" I say standing  
  
"I came here with Mike, he can drive me back." She says as she starts to gather her things  
  
I laugh "I don't know about that, I just say a keg stand going on in the kitchen, when I walked out he was already up to thirty seconds."  
  
"Damn it, I guess I will take you up on that offer if you don't mind them."  
  
With that she starts to dress, god if you could call it dressing, it was barely more than her bikini. The skirt was a frayed, faded denim mini and she paired it with just an open long sleeve white shirt, her feet were slid into brown leather sandals and I noticed her toenails, they were maroon with little flowers. She was now a pedicure girl, that causes me to look at her fingernails, short, but with a French manicure. I've been around rich girls for a long time; she's now one of them. This scares me.  
  
"Tristan?" her voice calls me  
  
"Huh..yea?"  
  
"I'm gonna go say happy birthday one last time to Lisa, then tell Mike I'm going."  
  
"Kay I'll meet you at the car." With that she leaves and I'm not going to deny that I watch her perfect legs in that actually quite amazing skirt, but I can't stand the fact that everyone else gets to see her like that too. 


	4. Invited

Did you think I was never going to put out another chapter? I bet you thought that this story was never going to be finished, well it will be. Just give me more tests that I want to put off studying for :-D Hope you're enjoying, oh and eventually all will be revealed.  
  
Ch.4  
  
Invited  
  
We didn't talk much in the car. Our whole conversation consisted of 'Wow, nice car' to 'thanks, it's my mom's' we discussed where my car was and the fact that I would be attending Chilton again in the fall. It was when I pulled up to her house five minutes later that something rather peculiar happened.  
  
"You can come in if you want," she said as I pulled the car up.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"If you've got nothing better to do, you can come in and tell me about military school."  
  
"What about your dinner?" Aah, why am I trying to talk her out of inviting me in? What's wrong with me? Isn't what I've wanted for years now?  
  
"Not for another 30 minutes, it normally takes everyone else around fifteen minutes to get back her. So I have extra time to kill, all I need to do is take a shower, if you don't mind waiting for me for a few minutes."  
  
"Uh sounds good. Just leave my car here?"  
  
"Yea, that's fine."  
  
I follow Rory into the house and I watch her walk up the stairs. Once again appreciating that skirt, especially now that we're alone. She turns and laughs when she sees me standing there "You can come upstairs Tristan, I promise I won't bite."  
  
"Oh, I assumed I was just waiting down here while you showered." I quickly start up the stairs after her.  
  
She leads me to her room, it's very not her, and it's obvious her grandmother had an interior decorator in here; I really can't imagine Rory liking the Backstreet Boys. "I'll be back in five minutes," she says as she grabs a dress that was lying on her bed.  
  
With that Rory leaves me, I don't doubt that she won't be out in five minutes like she promised, in fact I doubt she'll even take that long. No matter what outward physical changes there were like the nails and the outfit, I knew that she was still Mary underneath it all. I walk around her room, there's very little revealed in this room about her personality. It's full of books, but that's the only thing that screams Rory because I'm not about to be caught poking around her drawers.  
  
I'm flipping through a packet she had on her desk from Harvard as she walks out. Her hair's soaking wet and falls just a bit past her shoulders, it's still tangled from her shower. Her skin's a little red, but it still goes perfectly with that little slip of a dress she'd put on. It's pink, Mary in pink. Mary in pink; Mary in pink with a manicure and pedicure. Just then I notice her hair; it has layers and highlights, very subtle, but I doubt they're natural, she's not that tan. Mary in pink all done up and I start to wonder is she still Mary as I thought? She's brushing her hair as she realizes I'm looking at her. "What?" she says with a smile  
  
"Nothing" I say with a shake of my head, but she continues to look at me. "You're all highlighted and manicured, it's different."  
  
She looks down at her hands and laughs, "You're insane"  
  
"Just figure that out?" I say smiling back at her. "So why Mike?" I ask her as I pick up a picture of them from her desk, there's no time like the present to find out what made him so special.  
  
"Huh?" she's thrown off kilter by my change in subject.  
  
"Why Mike, why are you going out with him, I'm sure a bunch of the guys must have gone after you." Do I sound jealous? Even if I am jealous, I certainly don't want to sound that way. I still have some pride left, very little where she was concerned, but still some remained.  
  
"You mean I'm supposed to have more than the thick chestnut colored hair, the turquoise eyes, the six two and the fact that he's captain of the football team?" She says with a smile  
  
"See now those are none of the reasons I'd expect you to be attracted…Okay let me change that, you'd be attracted, but see no point of doing anything because the fact remains that his grades are mediocre."  
  
"He's a B student" Rory laughs at me  
  
"What are you?" I shoot back  
  
"Don't do this Tristan, I know exactly what's going through your head right now. You're trying to figure out why did she pick him and not me? I'm attractive; every girl in the school wants me, except for her that is. I'm an A student, granted not A+ like her, but then again I never do any work. I was captain of soccer team when I was only a sophomore and on the lacrosse team and we went to the state championships in both of them. So just come out and ask that question that we both know you want to. Why him and not me?"  
  
"Fine Rory, why? Why did you pick him and not me? What made him better?" my voice is raw asking this, I'm trying my hardest to not let my emotions come through, but it's not working.  
  
"Because you got your ass thrown in military school and you weren't around." Did her voice soften as she said the final words of 'you weren't around'?  
  
"I'm around now." I lean forward in my chair  
  
"And I'm taken now." She says with a simple shake of her head, she sends little droplets of water shooting out.  
  
"You won't be for long." I once again lean back and smile at her  
  
"You're too cocky" she says with a smile as she stands and walks over to her vanity where she sprays on perfume.  
  
"You love it, you missed me. Admit it." I stand and I walk over to her.  
  
"I'll do no such thing." She says right as I lean in to kiss her.  
  
The kiss is once again amazing, but different, she's different, she's so incredibly different and it scares me because I know it still won't take away my love for her. I end our kiss, "What happened to you, Rory? You're so different."  
  
"Is that bad?" she says looking up at me, her voice sounds strong and cocky, but once again her eyes are showing me something different, a weakness, a vulnerability that I don't remember.  
  
"I'm gonna have to take the fifth on that." And I kiss her softly  
  
Just then we hear the door open and Rory's grandmother's voice "Rory, I'm home." Rory pushes me away from her. She sits at her vanity and I move back over to her desk chair. "Julia should have dinner ready by now."  
  
"Her name is Jessica." Rory replies back  
  
"Oh whatever, it's a J close enough" she says as she says that she enters the room "Oh my you have a guest" she turns to Rory "Why do you have a guest?"  
  
I stand and walk over to her "Tristan, Ma'am" I say as I go to shake her hand  
  
"Tristan DuGrey, Grandmother, you know his grandfather, Janlen DuGrey." It shocks me that she remembers that little bit of information I had given her over a year ago.  
  
"Ah yes you do look like Jan when he was younger, not so much your father though. Military school correct?"  
  
"Uh yes ma'am" I say with nod of my head  
  
"All reformed?" she looks at me and smiles "Wait I don't think I want to hear the answer to that."  
  
I smile back at her "They let me come home, that's got to mean something."  
  
"I suppose, so are you staying for dinner Tristan?"  
  
""Uh Grandma" Rory nervously cuts in  
  
"No Mrs. Gilmore, I unfortunately already made plans."  
  
"Ah, well then I'll let you two say good-bye and I expect to see you downstairs in five minutes Rory. Nice to meet you Tristan 


	5. The Voice

Ooops did I forget to update this for how long? Eek, my bad. Well I'm done with school now, so this should be coming on a regular basis and will be finished eventually I swear…Thanks if you're still reading.  
  
Ch. 5  
  
The Voice  
  
I didn't go straight home after leaving Rory's house. I had too much energy to just sit in the house all alone. I started to drive back over to the party, but then I just kept going. It took me awhile to figure out why I kept driving, why I didn't want to go back to my room and spend a few hours watching tv, playing a video or computer game or why I didn't want to go spend the rest of the night goofing off and just chilling with my friends. The reason came to me slowly and that was because I didn't want to be him again, I didn't want to slip back into that life that had held me captive, a prisoner in my own body for almost seventeen years now. It's hard to change, harder than I ever realized. I'd always scoffed at people who had to go to shrinks for things that they should be able to do on their own, I mean seriously how hard is it to stop washing your hands? I realize now how wrong I am. There's something so deeply imbedded in a person that it's almost unreachable, and it's what keeps you from change. Sure you may look like you're doing okay, like the person who loses a hundred pounds, but where are they five years from then? That's always the question. You can do all these superficial things that seem to change you, but there's always something pulling you back to who you were.  
  
I can feel it even now, pulling me towards Kevin's house, reminding me how good it felt to be popular, how good it felt to be able to get away with anything, to have girls falling at my feet no matter how many times I dicked them over…It would be so easy to be him again, to have the life that most teenage boys dream of.  
  
It doesn't stop there though, it starts to question my motives for change. Rory, it screamed to me to notice how she changed, how she was becoming what I hated, what I was trying to escape from. I could have her no matter what, I could stay the jerk, albeit popular and handsome jerk and still get the girl. I didn't have to change, she was doing all the changing required for the both of us. But that led me to wonder, was she changed for good or was there something inside of her as there was inside of me. Was she being pulled back into the girl I loved? Where will she be in five years time? Something tells me that she won't be like the rest of the girls who will have just finished up their pointless degrees because they'll never work, they'll produce a few children that will probably be raised by nannies, they'll volunteer, take tennis lessons and have lunch at the club. I can't see Rory falling into that category, but maybe I have blinders on where she's concerned. Then that voice calls out its final question as I think about that. Is she worth it? The voice asks me and I don't even have to think, I know the answer without any hesitation. Yes, Rory is worth anything and everything.  
  
I think that seems to have quieted the voice for now, but I know it is not gone, it will haunt me for the rest of my life, I just hope I'm strong enough to fight it. 


	6. First Morning Home

Ch.6  
  
I woke up today at seven thirty; I'm shocked that I slept this late. I've been getting up at six for the past seven months, but then again I was normally asleep by eleven or twelve the latest, last night I couldn't sleep till almost three because I was up thinking about her, thinking about my family and what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. Have I come up with any answers? the answer is no…I still don't have a single clue except for try my hardest to be someone Rory could be proud to be with, more importantly someone I could be proud to be.  
  
I make my way down to the kitchen after my shower. I make myself a bagel with cream cheese, after promising Rosie almost a dozen times that I wouldn't hurt her poor kitchen. I must have looked rather odd because she kept starring at me. Finally I had to ask "What?"  
  
"Nothing" she says with a shake of her head and goes back to preparing my father's freshly squeezed orange juice  
  
"Tell me Rosie"  
  
"No, it's nothing" she says with another shake  
  
I smile "Rosie, this is me. Little Tris, you've been the one person who's been constant in my life for more than two weeks besides from my Grandfather."  
  
"How is Mr. DuGrey? I haven't seen him in a few weeks."  
  
"Nice try Rosie, spill." I smile at her, she's helpless to my smiles, like a grandmother would be I imagine.  
  
She doesn't say anything for a moment, she just looks at me "You've changed"  
  
I smile again "For better or worse?"  
  
"I haven't gotten that much yet, but I think better. You seem at peace. I've never seen you like this before."  
  
"Peace? Peace is the last thing I feel, my stomach has butterflies."  
  
"Ah so this is about Rory?" she says with a smile as she goes back to her oranges.  
  
"This is about more than her I think."  
  
"So your father wasn't completely insane for sending you to military school?"  
  
"No I guess not, of course it took me awhile to realize that. Speaking of my father, actually both of my parents, what happened to them?" I say as I wipe my mouth as I finish the bagel. She starts to take the dish away from me "No, I've got it" I tell her as I take it back and head over to the sink.  
  
"It really did change you." She says smiling once more "I don't know about your parents, it was odd. I went to Washington to see my daughter and grandkids for Christmas, I was only gone for two weeks when I got back Mrs. Williams said your parents had left suddenly a day or so before Christmas, they didn't come back for almost a month."  
  
"Wait they just up and left together?" That's odd, my mom was the only one that would up and leave, my father only left for business trips and those never lasted more than a week.  
  
"I know" she says with another shake "They came back changed. Oh my your father will be down in a few minutes, we better stop talking about them."  
  
And with that she resumed her juice squeezing and it seemed almost as if on cue that my father entered only moments later as I was about to leave.  
  
"Good morning Tristan" he said with a smile on his face, that shocked me once more. My father smiling, my father smiling at me and not his old cronies. I looked at my father and noticed that he too like my mother didn't look his age. It seemed as if ten years had been lifted from his face since the time I left.  
  
"Good morning Dad." I always found it funny how I called them mom and dad, when they were the complete opposites of what that name implied. I don't know why I never called them Mother and Father or even Sir and Ma'am like a few of my friends did. Something called out to me in the back of my head and I knew that they had once been Mommy and Daddy to me. I wonder why I can't remember those times? I wonder what had changed then and what had changed now.  
  
"So what's on your agenda for today son?" he said not looking at the newspaper in his hand as he normally would have, he was looking directly at me, it was almost as if he was interested in what I had to say.  
  
"I don't know yet. Will my car be back today?"  
  
"The garage said by nine. I would say that you should go see your grandfather, but I believe he's not getting back from Madrid until later tonight. Maybe you'd like to join your uncle and I for golf this afternoon."  
  
"I'm not really good at golf." My family has been replaced by aliens, that's the only way this could be happening or maybe twilight zone?  
  
"Well the only way to get good is to practice. We've got a 12:30 tee off time. We'll leave here around 11:45. Sound good?"  
  
"Uh, I guess so." With that I leave the room, maybe if I go up to my room I'll see my body there still sleeping and that would explain all of this. 


	7. Invasion of the Pod People

Chapter 7---Invasion of the Pod People  
  
My day with my father was actually quite nice, my father and uncle asked about my school, they told me about a few big business deals that they had completed in my absence, they talked about an upcoming one. My father asked me if I thought we, notice the we and not he should get a house in the Hamptons. We all joked, shockingly enough my father could joke, it was another instance I almost died at, and he could also take a joke, once again shocking. At the end of it I was feeling pretty relaxed and happy, even if I was perplexed and my golf game did still suck. But that just made my father decide that I would now join them at least once a week because it was necessary to be able to play golf in the business world. I wonder if I should tell him I still hate his life and don't ever want it to be mine? I looked at him smiling and patting me on the back and I realize there's no way I'm going to fuck this up, for as long as they want to be pod people, I'm willing to play my part.  
  
My father and I parted after the game was done because I saw Kevin and Lisa sitting at a table by the pool. I was only going to go and say hello until I saw Mike and Rory walk over and join them at their table. Rory was only in a white bikini that had large blue flowers on it and a matching sarong that barely covered her butt. Yea there was no way I was leaving. 


	8. Her Smile Isn't The Same

Ch.8 Her smile isn't the same  
  
Her smile isn't the same. She's smiling and she's laughing, but where's the twinkle behind her eyes? It's fake, it the same laugh and smile I've given to people a million times, it happens when the inside of you is dead, it's not hurting, it's not breaking, it's not tearing you in two, no you would kill for that, you would kill for the emotions that you see in others. No the laughter, the smiles, the flirting, the attitude, it's all a mask to hide the fact that you're empty.  
  
How could she be empty? I've got to be wrong; this has to be me transferring my thoughts, my feelings, and my fears onto her. Rory was one of the most alive people I had ever met, she loved, she cared, and she got hurt, when she smiled her whole face brightened up. I can't see that now or maybe I really had just placed all of my hopes and dreams on her and made her into something she never was, yet that doesn't seem right either. I excuse myself from the table to go put on the trunks I had brought with me.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
I splash water on my face after I've changed. I try to get myself together, I'm wrong. Rory is fine or at least Rory will be fine, she is still there underneath the highlites, the manicure and pedicure, not to mention the designer clothes that barely cover her, she is still my Mary.  
  
'Course maybe I would feel better if she'd actually been my Mary at one point and time and that everything I knew about her I hadn't gathered through simply watching her. Yet I know there had always been more between us, and I don't think I made that up in my mind. She said to me yesterday "You weren't around" when I asked why Mike and not me. Sure, she could have simply been fucking with my head or being a flirt, but somehow I doubt it. Something happened to her, otherwise she'd still be living with her Mom..wait maybe her mom was dead.nah I would have heard about that. "What could have happened that could have driven her from her own house?"  
  
Did I just say that out loud and into the mirror? I really think I saw my lips move, okay I'm totally losing it and why the hell am I in here, what answers am I going to get talking to myself?  
  
~~~~~  
  
The Pool~  
  
Rory's standing off on her own watching them in the pool. She seems so lost all the time, she's looking at them, but she's not seeing anything. I walk up behind her, I don't think she hears me, because she seems to jump ever so slightly when I whisper in her ear "What are you looking for?"  
  
She turns and smiles "Tristan, ready to go in?"  
  
I can't let her get away this easily, I know she's being fake and I can't allow that, I have to try for more, "Not until you answer me."  
  
She shakes her head and smiles "I wasn't looking for anything, I was just watching them."  
  
"Who watches in 90 degree weather, especially when they're already in a suit and their friends are in there?"  
  
"I do Tristan, now I'm going in. You can join if you want to or not." She's so cold and aloof as she turns her back on her, but I can't help but feeling that there's something underneath that surface that I've got to figure out how to reach, she reached it in me once, it almost destroyed me, but she reached it. I guess it's one of those you can't start to rise until you hit the bottom. I hope this is her bottom, I don't think I can bear to be the one that has to bring her to it.  
  
~~~~  
  
I spent the day with them hanging out at the country club, I wish I could say that something spectacular happened, but like normal it didn't. I beat Mike in every race we had across the pool, a few other people turned up from Chilton and we got together a decent game of volleyball, where I once again beat Mike. Oh and don't think volleyball, more than one person on each team, it was a group win or defeat because no I beat Mike, sometimes my teammates worked with me or against me, but it was I who beat him.  
  
I've realized yet another thing today, nothing will happen between Rory and me, if all I ever do is piss her off at every event we attend together. The answer to that solution is one on one time, where I can piss her off until she gives me answers. Hence the phone in my hand, hence the phone that is ringing  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Oh shit she actually answered, "Rory," I cover my shock of actually hearing her voice quite nicely I think  
  
"Tristan?"  
  
"You don't recognize my voice I'm hurt." playboy mode has been activated  
  
"I don't recognize my name being said in that voice." She sounds almost as if she's about to laugh, but only about to.  
  
"Would you prefer Mary?"  
  
"No dear god, no. What do you want Tristan?"  
  
"What no hello?"  
  
"I said that already Tristan."  
  
"But not when you knew it was me."  
  
"Fine. Hello Tristan, how are you? Isn't it lovely weather we're having?" she actually lets out a little laugh when she's done with her spiel.  
  
"Come to the beach with me." My voice is lowered for optimal effect.  
  
"I thought you wanted the formalities." She's being so cute and flirty that I have to wonder if I really need to get her back to her old personality.  
  
"I lied; I wanted to see if you would do them. So come to the beach with me."  
  
She laughs again, "It's almost seven Tristan."  
  
"So the sun's still out."  
  
"I can't," she hesitates for a moment, she knows I'll ask why not, so she goes on, "I have plans with Mike."  
  
"Break them"  
  
"I can't" she says and I think she means it, her voice isn't flirty/cheerful anymore, anyway who wouldn't want to be with me instead of him.  
  
"Fine, tomorrow. I'll come pick you up at 8."  
  
"8?"  
  
I'm surprised that she's shocked by the time and not telling me she can't go, "Wow does that actually mean you'll go?"  
  
She laughs realizing what she got herself into, "I guess I have no choice now."  
  
"Nope, I'll be there at 9; you don't have to be ready or anything. I don't mind sitting around as you get dressed."  
  
"Good-bye Tristan"  
  
"Good-bye Rory" I think she's smiling just like me as she hangs up the phone. 


	9. Some Alone Time

Okay I've had this chapter on my computer for ages. I don't know why I didn't post, I think I wanted to change something and I don't remember what. I stopped writing this story when my computer died and I lost all of the chapters I had been working on (I write out of order). However a few of you kept replying to this story long after it had been abandoned. So I'm going to try t o write it, it's just gonna be hard because I don't really remember Tristian that well anymore (how sad is that). Oh and why Rory lives with her grandparents will be explained further on in the story.

* * *

Ch.9 

She smiled at me as I watched her move around her room. "Must you watch me?"

I lean back into the desk chair and admire her leaning into her drawer, wrapped only in a towel, "Rory, I may be reformed, but I'm still a man."

"I think man is pushing it."

I grab my chest "Ouch"

She gives the appropriate laugh, "You know it's pretty rude to turn up at someone's door 15 minutes early."

"I thought it was rude to turn up late."

She looks like she's going to say something, but then stops, the smile she'd been wearing falls away "It works both ways."

I take a moment and wonder if I should ask her what she was going to say, but then I realize I'd better put off the third degree until we're on the beach and she's trapped, "Ah, but if I'd come on time I wouldn't be seeing you in your towel."

She turns back to face me, her arms full of clothing "My point exactly, I'm going to go get dressed."

"Need any help?" I ask with a raise of my eyebrow

"No I think I've got it covered, thank you for offering though."

"No problem, remember the offer always stands."

---------------------------

The beach-

Spending time one on one with Rory was more amazing than I'd ever thought it would be. There was nothing I couldn't talk to her about, okay that's a lie I couldn't talk to her about sports.

"Hey wanna go into the city and get tickets to a Yankee game this week?"

She rolled her eyes

"Would you prefer the Mets?"

"I think I'd prefer having my eyes gouged out."

"Not a baseball fan?"

"Not an any type of sports fan."

"Yet you date a jock….Question, can Mike talk about anything besides from sports?"

She turned on her side and looked at me, "You know I have asked myself that very question many many times."

"You know," I say turning towards her "I think you just haven't been exposed to the right type of sports."

"What exactly would the right type of sports be?"

"You're used to hearing about sports or watching it on TV or let me guess what you do at Mike's games, read?"

She smiled "I keep one eye on my book and one eye where he is so I can put it down when he's going to see me."

I can't help but laugh with her "See that's not the way to experience sports, you need to be up in the nosebleed section downing hotdogs and beer with someone who can entertain you through the dull points and explain everything without getting annoyed."

"Ummm are you missing the fact that we're not 21?"

"Trust me I can get you an ID."

"So you want me to go with you into the city and get drunk?"

"Don't worry my sweet, little Mary I won't take advantage of you…Well that is unless you want me to."

"Definitely not."

"So what do you say? Will you come?"

She rolls her eyes, "What day?"

"Thursday, there's a late afternoon game."

"If we're going to be drinking we are taking the train right?"

"You know I'd never do anything to put you in danger."

"Was that a yes?"

I nod "That was a yes."

"Okay then fine."

With that she rolled back to her stomach and I leaned back onto my towel and sighed.

"Don't gloat" she said in an almost growl.

I smiled

"Or smile!"

My eyes squinted as I turned to look at her again, I shook my head and laughed. She laughed with me, once more the day was perfect.

----------------------------------

I talk Rory into a walk down by the water for the second time today. I'veyet to talk her into actually going into the water though, last time the water barely touched her toes as a wave came in and she ran all the way back to the beach. I dive in I needed to cool off after being so close to her all day. I run back out of the water and towards her.

"No" she exclaims and jumps back as I approach her.

"Jesus Mar, think I'm trying to throw you in the water?" I give a sly smile

"I certainly wouldn't put it past you."

I laugh as I watch her, her arms are wrapped around herself, trying to reclaim all the warmth she'd just lost by putting her foot in the water. "It's almost one, the water isn't going to get any warmer."

"It's June still who the hell goes to the beach in June."

"It's 90 degrees out Ror, come in the water."

"It's freezing" she whines

"So's that little bottle of ice water you keep spraying on yourself."

"It's a smaller dose."

"Please," I say walking backwards into the water holding out my hand.

"No," she shakes her head, but she walks forward a bit, I wave my hand a bit more and try to hide the fact that I'm shaking, "no, really it's freezing."

"It'll be warm in a minute. I swear."

She takes my hand and lets out a little cry as her feet hit the cold. "You lied."

"It hasn't been a minute. Come on walk further, we're never going to get warm with the water only up to our calves."

"It's freezing."

"Oh I don't know it's not so bad. Then again maybe you need a little body heat." I close in on her and wrap my arms around her.

She squirms free and laughs as she dives straight into the water.


	10. Who I Am With Her

Okay so this is my first fully new chapter in months and I mean almost a year, so I don't know if it's blending with the others. So um, yea, just wanted to warn you.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

I realize I'm pathetic around my third beer. Not that I'm pathetic because my tolerance has disappeared in the time I spent away. I'm pathetic because of how much I love her. How the feeling of her arm resting next to mine is bliss. And bliss is the only word to describe it. It's such a perfect feeling, a perfect moment. Nothing is being accomplished, nothing is being said. We're just sitting.

"You're right" she said dropping her head onto my shoulder, "Sports can be fun"

You have no idea I think to myself as I let my head fall down on top of her, "You just needed the right company."

-

We watched the game in almost near silence after the first 3 innings, which coincided with our first three beers. I kept trying to remember that I had meant to talk to her. Find out what happened. I tried to remember at the beach, but I couldn't destroy our time together. I couldn't risk this weird thing we were building.

You're not supposed to build on shaky ground, I know that. But support beams could be put up later right? Pour cement in foundation later? Of course I know as much about building a house as I do building a relationship. Everything I could be thinking might be false. I'm just so afraid to make her run, when she's finally where I always wanted her…right next to me.

She's asleep on the train, my arm around her, her head rests on my chest. I don't dare fall asleep, not because I'm afraid we'll miss our stop, but because I want to watch her, I want to feel every breath.

It's funny that I can even think about falling asleep with her so close. Normally every cell in my body is screaming when she's near me, everything tingles, every hair on my arms stands tall. Right now though, there's just peace. This incredible sense of peace I could have never imagined.

Our day was perfect.

Just as the beach had been four days ago.

I got up to seven beers, Rory lagged behind with only five. Still it was fun being packed in the subway train, swaying with the strangers in our same jovial mood from the win. It was fun as we ran hand in hand, so I didn't lose her in Grand Central so we could make our train. Laughing as we dropped into seats with 2 minutes to spare.

She dropped off somewhere between Pelham and Larchmont and she's been asleep against me ever since.

People smile as they walk past us.

It's something different that I'd never experienced before, people normally smile at me because I'm attractive. They're smiling at me now because of what a good guy I look like, what a cute couple we make. People make up stories in their minds and I can read this story in their eyes.

We're just two normal kids from Connecticut, who ventured to the city for a Yankees game. They know we were just at a game because we did the cheesy thing and bought clothes there. I'm wearing a jersey and she's got a on a little navy baby tee with Derek Jeter's number on the back. He's lucky I consider myself better looking than him or I would have gone down to the dugout and wiped that smile, all the females seem to love so much off his face.

I smile to myself as I brush her hair back, but refrain from kissing the top of her head like I want to. I like how people see me now. I like who I am with her.


	11. My Sleeping Beauty

Okay so I got one reply for the last chapter, I'm really hoping that's just because it was short and not that you hated it...I did warn that it was the first new chapter in a long time. So if you actually had an issue with the chapter, now would be the time to say so, while I can still try to fix it. Enough of that, here's another chapter...

* * *

"Mmm" she groans and stretches against my chest. 

My entire body freezes, _yea all the tingles are back. _"Welcome back sleeping beauty?"

She doesn't look startled as I expected her to look, but instead she looks up at me with a small smile. "I didn't drool did I?"

"Nah just a little snoring" I tease with a straight face

She hits me as she straightens up, "I do not snore."

"Why do all girls say that?"

"Well this girl says it because it's the truth." she defends. She frowns as she looked at me again, "How long until we're home?"

"Two more stops."

She stretches, "I need to shower."

I smile, "Is that an invitation?"

She laughs, "No it's a fact, we were out in the sun too long."

I laugh with her, "Hey at least it wasn't in the middle of the day. We're probably be sitting on opposite ends of the train if that were the case."

She laughs and has to push away a strand of hair that has fallen forward, it takes everything in my power to keep my hand from stretching to brush it back first.

"It's too early to call it a night." I'm not ready to let her go yet.

She once more surprises me as she doesn't refuse, "What do you have in mind?"

"There's a party at Bowman's"

She looks confused, "Are you still allowed at Bowman's?"

"They still allow him there, can't see why they wouldn't allow me."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"His parents won't be there, it'll be fine."

"I'm still all ewwy from the sun." she points out

"You're ewwy?" I can't help but laugh

She once more hits me, "Shut up, I need to shower. I'm not going out in public like this."

"We'll take the cab back to your house and then another to mine or we can take one to mine and I can grab clothes and we could go back to yours and have that shower?"

She rolls her eyes at me as I finish my jumble of words, "Take a cab to my house, I grab clothing, we head over to your house, we can shower separately. Then call another cab or maybe someone can come get us."

"Why shower at my house and not yours?"

"I think I might have a hard time explaining to my grandmother, why you're naked in the guest shower. Anyway you've rifled through my things, it's my turn." She says smiling at me.


	12. Embarrassing Moments

"You have a teddy bear" she says sitting on my bed holding up the raggedy tan bear that had been with me all of my life. How had I forgotten about him? Better question, how the hell had she beaten me out of the shower?

I try to think of what to say, _In touch with my inner child? Even I can be sentimental? _"It's not like I sleep with him." I defend.

"Tristan" she gives me a knowing look that I know a smile is dying to peak out from behind, "He was on your nightstand."

I bow my head in shame, "I said I don't sleep with him, I never said I can't see him as I sleep."

The laughter she had been dying keeping in falls out.

"Give me back JD" I say walking over and trying to grab the bear she had clutched to her chest as she laughed almost to the point of hyperventilating.

"Oh my god" she rolls off the bed to escape me and stands, "He has a name"

"You would know that if you looked at his collar" I say facing her, the bed in-between us.

She flips over the tag on the brown leather collar, I see her smile return as she sees my childish scrawl. She just looks at me and I know what she wants to know.

"Janlen DuGrey." I provide

"You named your teddy after your grandfather?"

I think I might have just rolled my eyes, I definitely saw ceiling, "My father is Janlen DuGrey the third…I don't know if it meant that I knew from the start what a disappointment I was to him that he didn't give me the name that had been in my family for over a century or what…Point is I had an imaginary friend who wasn't a failure in his eyes."

"Oh" the smile that had been peaking out disappeared, _perfect time to act. _I leap over the bed and she turns. We fall onto the bed, my arms wrapped around her from behind as I fight to regain control of the bear.

We're fighting, rolling around on the bed, I'm ticking her trying to weaken her arms when suddenly we freeze when we hear a cough. We both shoot up, my mom is standing in the doorway taking in our freshly showered appearances, well Rory's, my hair now dries in under a minute. "Hi kids"

"Mom, this is Rory, Rory this is my mom."

"Nice to meet you, Rory. So Rosie said you guys went to a baseball game?"

"Yea, we're waiting for Kevin to come pick us up." I suddenly hope that I'm not showing any of the effects from our earlier indulgences…I feel sober…I'm probably not though.

"Where are you going?" she asks

I'm about to lie, then I remember I'm trying not to be that person, "Bowman's"

She nods as she thinks of what to say, "Don't get into a car with Kevin if he's been drinking."

"Mom" I'm about to lie, I'm about to tell her I've never gotten into the car with anyone drinking…Hmmm that would be a big one especially considering I've been the one driving before.

"Tristan," her voice grows serious, "call a cab drop Rory off at her house, then come home. Or just come back here, we have plenty of room. I do not want to see Kevin's car pull up to this house on the security cameras tomorrow."

Okay so I'm rethinking liking this caring mom bs, this is embarrassing, kinda nice in some weird way, but embarrassing. How many times have I fallen into this house staggering drunk? Hell how many times have I not left this house and been staggering drunk. "We took a cab home from the train station didn't we?" I remind her.

"Okay I just wanted to be clear on this subject." Her smile returns and she looks at Rory, "It was nice meeting you, Rory."

"You too Mrs. DuGrey." her voice is smaller than normal.

Neither of us speak until my mother's footsteps fade down the hall and a door closes.

"Can I have JD back now?" I look at her seriously and ask, knowing how to take the edge off of any situation. Of course it doesn't hurt that Rory's slightly intoxicated.

She starts laughing and next thing I know we're on the bed fighting again.


	13. Us

**AN: Guys, you gotta wait to find out why Rory is living with her grandparents you aren't finding out before Tristan. **

**Of course this is assuming I still have any readers. If I do, "Hi guys and sorry."**

Okay so I've been informed there should be a summary before this chapter since it's been so long (honestly I can't remember what happened in a story I read the previous day, I'm normally at the end of the chapter before I remember, so a summary more than makes sense).

The Summary: Tristan has returned from boarding school at the end of junior year. His parents have suddenly become a whole lot more parental. Rory has become a whole lot less Mary, she's dating Mike, a friend of Tristan's (not a close one). Rory is no longer running away so much from Tristan, they kissed his first night back after fighting a little about Mike. They spent the day together (in a group) at the club, followed by a day alone at the beach, followed by a Yankee game to prove that she just hadn't been exposed to the right type of sporting events, which led to a train ride in which she slept on him, showers at his house (separate), fighting over his teddy bear, JD, being caught by his mother once more being motherly. They are now arriving at Bowman's house party…Oh and as was said a few lines above, Rory is living with her grandparents, Lorelei is not dead, but that's all anyone knows.

* * *

Chapter 13 

I pull her out of the backseat we had fallen into still laughing ten minutes earlier. We haven't stopped laughing, I think it's a side effect of us sobering up because we had been sleepy drunks earlier.

We follow Kevin and Lisa into the basement entrance of Bowman's house and I can't help but think of the old Tristan. This would have been the moment he reveled in, arriving at a party with hottest girl on his arm. The thing is I don't care what they think now, I care that she's with me, she's the one what matters and not what they think of her.

She changed into a simple outfit, more conservative her others of late, but a classic that draws attention. Light khaki capris and a black three fitted three quarter length shirt; black strappy sandals completed her look. My outfit's sloppier, light khaki cargos and a white tee shirt, flip flops on my feet, I've become a bum since leaving Chilton, I no longer have that compulsive desire to dress for each and every occasion. Not to mention I grabbed my clothes in a matter of seconds so as to not appear as if I over think every outfit.

"Beer?" I ask over the noise

She nods and I'm pretty proud of my Mary for still going strong after starting hours ago. I hold onto her hand as I follow Kevin to the keg.

She holds the cups as I pump and pour. "Hey pay attention," I call out as her eyes start to wander over who's in the room, she looks back at me confused.

She looks down at the cup, which started to fill with head because she stopped tilting the cup. "Sorry," she smiles and tilts it once more, "Paris is here," she says nodding over to where she had been looking.

I look over to where she nodded and see Paris standing there looking miserable and alone, she must have come with Madeline and Louise, who probably stopped at the first halfway decent guy they saw. _That little clique never made any sense to me._ She's scanning the room, trying not to look too obvious as she tried to find something of interest. She sees Rory and I looking over at her and she heads our way, the slight surprise at seeing me evident.

"Uh oh," Rory whispers hiding her face from Paris' prying eyes.

I turn to her puzzled, but my attention is quickly pulled back to Paris.

"They really let you come back," she says bluntly, as only Paris would.

"That they did."

"Rumor had it you were in North Carolina until you graduated."

"Hello to you too Paris," Rory interjects

"Yea yea, hi Rory. So what about school?"

"They let me come home, that's all I know. Beer?" I ask grabbing another cup.

She holds up her car keys.

"Guessing that's a no," I say before I take a long sip of beer, ignoring the foam I know I'll have to wipe off my face.

"You knew Tristan was home?" Her accusations turn to Rory.

"Since Lisa's birthday," my Mary says simply. I know what she's doing, reminding Paris that she would have known too if she attended any of the social events she was invited too. She always is invited, despite the fact that whenever she attends anything she looks miserable the entire time.

"I had my SAT tutor," Paris defends.

"How many times are you going to take them?" Rory asks, but we all know we're all taking them at least once more; no one gives up until the final deadline.

"Until I get a 1600 or get into Harvard."

Rory does her little girl nod with widening eyes and goes to take a sip of her beer to get out of this conversation.

Unfortunately before I can pull us away Paris moves in for the kill, "So did you too come here together?"

Rory nods, there's no hesitancy, no attempt at soothing the blow, _very un-Mary,_ "We just got in from the city."

"You two were in the city together?"

My ego, self-esteem, hope for a future between Rory and I, whatever it wants to be labeled has soared to new heights within a matter of a nod, "We saw the Yankee/Philly game," I supply the details.

Her attention only flashed over to me for a second before turning back to Rory, "Did Mike go?"

She shakes her head, "Just me and Tristan."

I watch Paris' eyes struggling not to ask too many questions, trying to figure out which ones will get her the answer she desires, the one of whether Rory and I are together. I take her moment of silence as a chance to escape, "We're gonna go mingle Paris," I struggle to figure out if I should wrap my arm around her waist as I've been doing all day, but since she has a boyfriend and the party is packed full of his friends, _hell I am one of his friends,_ I refrain. I place a hand on her upper back and maneuver her away from our neighborhood barracuda, not that I don't like Paris, there's actually something refreshing about her, but not when there's anger directed towards my Mary.

"That was rude," Rory whispers stepping in closer to me, effectively moving into my arm so that it's now draped over her. I wonder what's going through Paris' mind as she sees this display, _hell my mind doesn't even know how exactly to comprehend it._

"Did you have a better idea?" I ask tilting my head down to respond and suddenly we're at the perfect kissing distance, it would be so easy to just continue to move my lips towards her own. I haven't kissed her since my first night back, I don't really know why. I guess part of me doesn't want to push her, suddenly in this moment, I realize I don't think she'll run away like she kept doing at the beach. _Room full of people_, my inner voice reminds and I just smile.

-o-o-o-

"Baby," Mike says walking up to Rory almost two hours later; he's already slightly inebriated; they must have been pre-gaming at someone else's house. "Didn't you say you had plans today? Who'd you come with?"

"My plans were over so I came with Tristan," she says before he can even bend down and kiss her, Mike suddenly realizes that I'm in the circle of people Rory was talking to.

"Hey Mike," I nod and take a sip of my beer to hide my smile.

"Hey Tris," his voice sobers up, "you should have called me, I would have come got you."

_Yea like Mary would have let you drive her anywhere you drunken bastard,_ I think ignoring the fact that I'm probably a hell of a lot more wasted than him, the point is I'd never put her in jeopardy like that.

"That's okay Kevin came and got us."

Another sip of my beer to avoid my mouth from dropping open, _she did it again,_ just like with Paris, no attempt to hide the fact that we were together. I do not have the reputation of just being friends with girls and my obsession with her was a well known fact at Chilton.

"Us?"

"I was over at Tristan's."

Holy shit, she actually said it, she's doing what I think she's doing. Wonder if that's Rory speaking or the six beers since we've been here. _Now the question is do I get involved?_ Normally I'd have some really cocky response to this…Okay biting my tongue to keep from speaking,_ I'm not him anymore._

"You were at Tristan's?" His head nods slowly trying to absorb this information.

_Isn't that what she just said?_ Okay biting tongue harder, everyone has grown completely silent watching this play out.

"Why was my girlfriend at your place?" He asks harshly, every ounce of his control going into asking.

"We're friends." I answer.

"Since when"

Rory's starting to get angry, "Since when does it matter? This is my life, if I want to hang out with Tristan I will."

"Rory, just stay out of this. This is between me and Tristan. Now once more why the hell was MY GIRLFRIEND at your place?"

"Excuse me?" she asks.

"Rory, look I said just stay out of this," his anger which is meant for me is drawn to her in those words he snaps out.

I pull him back by the shoulder, "Don't talk to her that way."

It gets a little blurry after that, a fist flies at me, I hear Rory scream, I rush him with my shoulder into his chest. A few more blows are exchanged in no particular order, with no thought involved just hoping the other man was being hit until finally I feel Kevin's arms pulling me back, Deacon, a linebacker is pulling off Mike, who's now sporting a bloody nose to match my bloody lip.

Rory's just looking pissed, pissed at both of us.

She's still just glaring even as Mike finally gets talked down and leaves willingly; of course all of that glare is now directed solely at me. She shakes her head, "I'm gonna go see if Paris is still around and if she'll take us home." She shakes her head again before leaving in search of the other girl.

"She said us didn't she?" I whisper to Kevin who's still braced behind me, _not her, not me, she said us. _My friend looks at me wondering if I took a blow too hard to the head as one word repeats in my mind, _us, _she said, '_Us.'_


End file.
